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Post by lmingras on Mar 18, 2013 19:12:41 GMT -7
Lisa, with Rocco's past issues with his neck, this could be a neck disc problem. Has the different vet you are now seeing been advised of his front leg? Is it both legs or just mainly one?
Does he hold one of the front legs up like a flamingo.... not wanting to bear weight on it? If yes, that could mean nerve root signature pain like Northwoods mentioned. This is where a disc is pressuring one of the nerves coming off the main spinal cord going to a leg. ~ Paula Milner
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Post by northwoodsdoglover on Mar 18, 2013 19:52:55 GMT -7
Max has been on crate rest since 3/7, but the first sign we saw from him was that he was holding up his front leg. That was several days before starting to be in a lot of pain for what I know now is a disc injury in his neck (cervical) area. At the time I didn't know what it was, or I would have gotten him to my vet asap and gotten a few days ahead of this. I'm no expert, but I would definitely talk to your vet about this!
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Post by lmingras on Mar 19, 2013 14:15:26 GMT -7
It's not that he's favoring one leg, but when he walks out of his crate he looks like his shoulders are giving him problems and he's slow to walk, but then once he gets outside after I carry him out, he starts walking fine. It's kind of like he's a creaky old man who has to adjust to walking and then is okay when he gets going.
Originally when we took him to the vet, the doctor did some tests with his neck and his back and concluded it was a disc in the back since he flinched a little when the doctor pinched at his spine down the line of his back at one particular vertebrae. At the beginning he was also having issues with his back legs...like he would lift one or he couldn't hold one up when he went to the bathroom outside (which was originally why the vet thought it was his patella). I'm not sure what to think at this point. I'm going to keep him in the crate for the next few days and see if it gets any better. If not I may take him to a neurologist to get some feedback on what they think. To make matters worse, a week and a half ago he became extremely sick and had to be hospitalized for two days. He may have re-injured himself when he was throwing up during his sickness...the poor guy can't catch a break!
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PaulaM
Moderator. 
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,928
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Post by PaulaM on Mar 19, 2013 15:01:36 GMT -7
Lisa have you not been doing 100% STRICT crate rest 24/7 only out at potty times since 2/25?
Is he still on Rimadyl, did you get Pepcid AC on board to protect his stomach.
Can you update us on his meds: name, dose in mg and how often you give it?
What did the vets think the underlying reason he was sick and needed to be hospitalized? Was there blood in the vomit?
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Post by lmingras on Mar 19, 2013 16:14:00 GMT -7
There wasn't blood in the vomit but he was spurting diarrhea mixed with blood from his behind. The issue was caused by Rocco eating our other Dog's diarrhea when he was sick. This happened once before with him and he had the same problem where he had to be hospitalized. As of now he is on
25 mg rimadyl twice daily
50 mg tramadol twice daily
One quarter Pepcid twice daily
Just finished his methocarbamol
Just finished metronidazole
I have been letting him walk a little when he is outside but I will stop him from doing that. Other than that he has been in his crate or on my lap...
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Post by Pauliana on Mar 19, 2013 20:08:11 GMT -7
Lisa,
I know it's hard not to have Rocco on your lap, we felt the same with Tyler but the crate rest really does to need to be strict for 8 weeks, in order to protect his spine and heal the disc.. It sounds like he has more than one area of disc compression.. his neck as well as farther down on his back.. The more movement the worse it can get. I would contact a Neurologist..
Hope he is better after his sickness.. Poor guy!
Pauliana
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Post by lmingras on Mar 20, 2013 5:58:42 GMT -7
Thanks for the info. I guess I assumed since he wasn't moving that lap time was okay, but I will be strict about the crate and only the crate. The good news is that Rocco woke up feeling great and was walking fine when he went out. At one point he even tried to run but I nipped that quick. I have contacted my vet to give me more methocarbamol since we ran out on Monday. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction.
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Post by lmingras on Apr 3, 2013 5:23:57 GMT -7
We have been giving Rocco strict crate rest for the past two weeks and some days are better than others when we have to take him out. He still limps around like his shoulders are hurting and then seems okay after a few steps. His back legs are showing no issues at all. He is also moving his neck around like crazy so I don't know what's going on with him. We have an appointment with a specialist on Tuesday. Has anyone had any issues with their dog having difficulty walking with their front legs?? I just can't figure out if it's a disc issue or if it's something else....
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Post by Cindy & Sophie on Apr 3, 2013 6:49:05 GMT -7
Hi Lisa, my name is Cindy and my Sophie, a 7 year old smooth coat dapple dachshund weighing in at about 17 pounds, has issues with her front right leg and back right leg. It all began on the 22nd of March. She woke up at 3:00am and had a snorting attack, which turned into yelping and her not being able to use her right side. Took her to vet, who took w-rays and identified a disc in her neck, which could be the culprit. They diagnosed her IVDD and wanted to rush into surgery. I chose not to, because I would not do that to myself and I am a holistic type of gal. I wanted to try a non-invasisve approach first! Was totally confused until I was blessed to find Dodgerslist. We chose to do conservative treatment. She has been on strict crate rest, other than bathroom breaks since 3/27. The vet put her on 50 mg tramadol 1/2 tablet every 6 to 8 hours, 20 mg pepcid, 5 mg prednisone 2 tablets per day, 500mg methocarbamol 1/4 tablet 3 times per day and a stool softner. The meds she is currently on are the pepcid, 5mg prednisone, stool softner and on her last day of methocarbamol. She has regained the use of her right back leg and her right front leg is progressing. I carry her out to potty and she walks and stands on her own to potty. She is spoiled rotten and has basically never spent time in a crate. So we bought the small wire crate/cages. We have 3 and have one in each room we spend most of our time in, because she gets upset if she is not with us. We, also took off the top of her plastic travel crate and carry her around laying in it, to keep her back level and not aggravate it. She is wedge in between rolled up towels, so as not to wobble around when we are moving her. If we want to snuggle, I put her in the crate on my lap  Our treatment plan as of right now is: I do the massage and exercises (1-4) listed on this site and She has begun laser therapy. Which, I believe is helping her. And prayer The next treatment on my list will be acupuncture. Like I said She is making good progress and I committed to the 8 weeks of conservative treatment. My saving graces that I have found our: Dodgerslist, Pill Pockets made by Greenies t give medication and Composure from Vetri-Science Laboratories for anxiety of being in the crate at night, she is use to sleeping with us and barked all night. These little chews calm her down. Hope this helps blessings, Cindy I am in Illinois, may I ask where you are at? |
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Post by lmingras on Apr 3, 2013 7:36:15 GMT -7
Thank you for the info Cindy! That definitely helps. I am also a big fan of the pill pockets! They are so great when you have to give a bunch of different medications. I'm located in the DC metro area (arlington, VA). My husband and I are at our wits end with Rocco because he ALWAYS seems to have some sort of issue. He is on seizure medication, last year he slipped a disc in his neck, then he had problems related to low thyroid levels (which he is on medication for)and now it's his back. Poor guy is a real mess!
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